The development of Irish farming has reached a crossroads in recent years in many ways. The requirement to revisit the manner in which we make decisions on support mechanisms has dovetailed with the reform of the CAP. If one recalls the initiation of the negotiations, one will recall that their objectives were the preservation, by and large, of the financial benefits that were achieved in the context of Agenda 2000 and the establishment of a policy framework to give farmers and those involved in the agri-food sector the flexibility to adapt to an evolving consumer market and demands for international developments.